Dallas Mavericks need to bring back Dorian Finney-Smith

Dorian Finney-Smith has a close relationship with Luka Doncic

The Mavs reached the conference finals in 2022 behind Doncic and their improved defense. They were playing their best basketball since winning the championship in 2011, and the squad had a special chemistry. The Mavericks truly wanted to win for each other, and it helped them reach the final four.

The front office lost all three of Luka’s closest friends on the team in less than one year. Boban Marjanovic was traded to Houston before the 2022 NBA Finals even ended. Jalen Brunson left in free agency, and Finney-Smith was sent to Brooklyn at the deadline. All three were pillars of the Mavs' chemistry and accountability in 2022, but they were all gone by the end of the 2022-23 season.

Luka talked about not feeling the same joy on the court towards the end of the season. He was quick to mention things going on in his personal life, but it did not help that Doncic no longer worked with some of his closest friends. Trading Boban and Finney-Smith may have had a bigger impact than their on-court production would have suggested.

The Dallas Mavericks must do what it takes to get Dorian Finney-Smith back because he is the perfect on-court fit and an important piece for the franchise away from it.